Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch received grants from local high school students at Horace High School, Kindred High School, and Oak Grove High School through the Barry Foundation’s Philanthropy and Youth (PaY) program.
On campuses in Fargo, Bismarck, and Minot, ND, the Ranch serves boys and girls with challenging mental, emotional, and behavioral issues resulting from significant trauma, abuse, and neglect. Grant funds awarded by the PaY committees will be used to purchase materials for painting murals in the living spaces at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, Fargo. Kids and staff will work together to create the murals, which will feature coping/therapy skills the kids use each day, such as the Zones of Regulation, a Mindfulness Wall, and a butterfly mural that kids can decorate a piece of when they leave the Ranch.
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is a Christ-centered residential treatment and educational center for children and their families. We help the most troubled, complex, and amazing kids by providing best-in-class psychiatric therapy and trauma-informed care, where we look kids in the eye, walk with them, and help them become their best selves.
Philanthropy and Youth (PaY) is designed to introduce high school students to the importance of leadership and service through grantmaking. Modeled after Youth in Philanthropy (YiP), an initiative of The Winnipeg Foundation, high schools in Fargo-Moorhead, Detroit Lakes, and the surrounding area are each allocated funds to use for grantmaking in the community. Student-led committees first identify areas of focus, then research local community nonprofits and visit organizations before deciding how to award the grant money.